Brainstorming Session No.5

Motorbike use and urban air pollution

 July 28, 2006

On 28-7-2006, VDF hosted a meeting on environmental pollution caused by transport means. In the first part, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha (Hanoi National University) reviewed the current environmental situation in urban areas in Vietnam. Rapid economic development poses a growing threat to environmental quality. Even at an early development stage, environmental pollution, especially air pollution, is becoming severe in Vietnam’s big cities. Industrial production, increasing urbanization, and the rapid growth of personal vehicles are among the main factors of environmental problems. From her point of view, the motorbike is the most suitable transporter in Vietnam but using motorbikes creates many environmental problems. The amount of exhaust gas from motorbikes is 2 to 3 times greater than that from trucks. At some intersections in Hanoi and Haiphong, concentrations of dust, CO, SO₂, CO_2­, NO₂ are 2 to 10 times higher than permissible standards, and concentrations of other pollutants such as VOC, Pb and PM10 also exceed permissible standards by 2 to 30 times. The number of patients with ear-nose-throat and breathing problems is increasing. A recent JICA survey on environmental pollution corroborates this.

Ms. Ha proposed some general, technical, fuel and management solutions for environmental protection in Vietnam. Shifting from traditional fuel to LPG was considered as a strategic move for environmental protection. LPG has many advantages in comparison with gasoline in reducing pollution. It can reduce 80% of total CO emission, 60% of HO, etc.

In the second part, Prof. Nguyen Khac Trai (Hanoi University of Technology) presented his understanding about the situation of motorbike air emission control in Vietnam.  As an APEC member, Vietnam is required follow the EURO standard. EURO-II will be applied for second-hand imported automobiles from July 2006, and for domestically produced or imported motorbikes from July 2007. Potential socio-economic impacts of environmental regulations were evaluated. Currently, 40% of motorbikes in Vietnam are more than 8 years old, and 70% of cars are more than 10 years old. The quality of air emission control has been insufficient in both production and consumption process. Prof. Trai discussed alternative ways and timings to enforce environmental regulations. There are two possibilities for applying air emission control in Vietnam: normal track and fast track (see diagram). The normal track adopts EURO-II to III, IV and V gradually. The fast track skips EURO-III and reaches EURO-V sooner, but its EURO-II period is more extended than the normal track. Experiences from EU, Japan, China, Thailand and Hong Kong were introduced. The normal track may be easier to implement in a developing country like Vietnam in terms of cost and acceptability, but it generates some problems such as required frequent changes in anti-pollution equipment and a worse environmental situation.